Andrew Ramsey, and his brother John, were sons of John J. Ramsey of Monogalia County, Virginia. John J. Ramsey, born 1708. May have died in 1796, apparently married Margaret Barker. He may have been the son of William Ramsey. The name of his wife is confirmed in the baptismal records of St. Vincent's Church in Cape Girardeau, at the baptism of his daughter Rebecca on 4 December 1837. This church record clearly shows he married Margaret Barker. John Ramsey's will of August 1796 is recorded in Monogalia County, Virginia clearly names his children. John J. Ramsey's children included:

2. John Ramsey, Jr. born 1725, died 1837, married Sara Ann ------. She was not the Sarah Ann Miller who married a John Ramsey on 15 November 1842, as he died before that date. The will of John Ramsey was proven 30 October 1838 and 4 February 1839 (Book B, pp. 140-141 and 143-145: Scott County, Missouri). He located on what later became the County poor farm, which was located along the Commerce-Benton Road. He died in Scott County Missouri in 1837-38. Will was probated in Scott County in 1838. Will filed in Cape Girardeau County on 3 July 1843 [27-515] 1843 states his wife was Sara Ann. Names children: Harriet B. Painter, Elizabeth Flinn, Polly Ravenscroft and Rebecca Hall of Scott County. Administrator was Charles Miller. In 1850, "the slaves of John Ramsey will be hired at the Court House door,â€ Charles Miller, administrator and Greer Davis, agent. Will of 1822, 1839 and 1843 name children: Rebecca Ramsey, Mary Ann (Polly) Ramsey, Harriet B. Ramsey, Andrew Ramsey, Elizabeth Ramsey, Ann Ramsey, Sarah Ramsey, unnamed daughter Ramsey, and another unnamed daughter Ramsey.

3. Rebecca Ramsey, born, died 31 Dec 1839, married in 1777/9 to Alexander Gibboney in West Augusta County Virginia. See Alexander Gibboney will of 26 June 1837 (Box 34, #710 - Cape Girardeau County Missouri). Children included: John Gibboney, Robert Gibboney. Alexander Gibboney, Jr., Andrew Gibboney, Arabella Gibboney, Isabella Gibboney, and Margaret Gibboney.

Andrew Ramsey, born 1746, died 1815. Married Eve Wright. Ramsey Creek in Cape Girardeau was named for Andrew Ramsey who settled there in 1795 and established the first English school west of the Tennessee River. (Ramsey, R.L. 1952, Our Storehouse of Missouri Place Names).

Houck, in his book - The Spanish Regime in Missouri- notes at page 408, "Andrew Ramsey originally came from Cecil County, Maryland and moved westward along the Potomac. For a time, he lived in Pittsburgh, or at any rate, near the forks of the Ohio. He came to the Cape Girardeau District in 1795." In this same book, Houck notes that the Gibboney family came from Cecil County, Maryland, or the disputed territory between Maryland and Pennsylvania where the family settled before the Revolutionary War." Alexander Gibboney is shown in the 1790 Census of Cecil County. It should be pointed out that the famous Ramsey family of Tennessee also came from Cecil County, Maryland.

Houck notes in his History of Southeast Missouri that Andrew Ramsey came to Cape Girardeau from Harper's Ferry and that he was with the Virginia troops at Braddock's defeat. Andrew Ramsey allegedly ran a ferry across the Cheat River during the Rev. War, and resided in Pittsburgh before coming down the Ohio. His land grant adjoined that of Don Louis Lorimier, the Post Commandant at Cape Girardeau. Houck states that Andrew Ramsey was a man of some property, a slave owner, and exercised a considerable influence in the settlement during the Spanish government.

In 1803, Andrew Ramsey Sr. had in his household seven people, not including his 14 slaves. In 1804, he was one of the largest landowners in the district. He moved to the White River area (Batesville, Arkansas) in 1815 and died there. There is a Ramsey Hill near this community. Houck goes on to note that Andrew Ramsey's brother, John, was also in this Virginia Regiment and subsequently settled in Scott County, Missouri (Houck, pp 272). This is borne out by John Ramsey's will of record in Scott County.

Andrew Ramsey bought a land claim from Edward Robertson in Cape Girardeau in 1795. In 1799, Andrew Ramsey bought land on Bayou St. Thomas, six miles north of New Madrid. John and Drusilla (Hanna) Wright came to Missouri with the Ramsey group. Their son, Alexander, lived near New Madrid. He was sheriff and lived in Commerce.

Andrew Ramsey's will of 1813 is recorded in Cape Girardeau County (Box 51, #1000; and Box 57, #1116, both will A-40 dated May 1815). It names his wife, Eve, and his children. The executor of one will was his brother, John Ramsey, and another will has wife, Eve, and Lewis Painter as executors. Witness was Enoch Evans.

Of Andrew Ramsey's children:

1. Elizabeth Ramsey married Captain William Daugherty. Capt Daugherty came to the Cape in 1798 and commanded a Cape Militia Company. They lived south of Jackson at that time. He was an original abolitionist and would own no slaves of his own and controlled only those inherited by his wife. They had three children: Mary Daughterty, Ralph Daughterty, Charles Daughterty, and Martha Daugherty.

The Daughterty family was apparently living in Perry County Missouri in 1830 Census. William and John Daughterty were in Cape G. in 1805. Their father was apparently Jarvis Daughterty. (See Houck, Vol II, pp. 120)

2. Eleanor Ramsey married Samuel Tipton. Of their possible children, I show with a son, Benjamin. She may have died in Izard County Arkansas? Appears in 1840/1850 Census of Arkansas. (See Houck, Vol II, pp. 183).

3. Margaret Ramsey married Stephen Jones. He was at Cape in 1805. (Houck, Vol II, pp. 162). They appear in the 1840 and 1850 Census of Arkansas in Izard County.

4. Mary Ramsey married first Peter Craig on 19 May 1808 in Cape Girardeau County Missouri. Peter Craig was at the Cape in 1805. Captain Peter Craig was Commander at Fort Howard. He died at the Battle of the Sink Hole on 24 May 1815 near Fort Howard. He was not over 30 years of age. Alexander Gibboney was in his company and was killed also. Craig was also in the battle with the Winnebagos near Fort Mason on July 1813 when his brother-in-law, Allen Ramsey, son of Andrew, was killed. (Houck, Vol II, pp. 183; Vol III, pp. 104, 111, 130, 132). Peter Craig's will was filed in Cape Girardeau County in 1815, naming wife Mary. Executor was William Ramsey and witnesses included Enoch Evans, Andrew Ramsey and Betsy Ramsey. She married secondly Charles Kelley.

5. Rachel Ramsey, born 22 June 1795 in Henderson County KY, married John Rodney 3 Aug 1828 in Cape Girardeau County. John Rodney was born in Bourbon County KY and was a surveyor and son of Martin Rodney who arrived in 1798 and lived on Foster Creek. (Houck, Vol II, pp. 183). See John Rodney's will dated 24 Oct 1844. William Henry Harrison witnessed a codicil. Their children included: Mary Rodney, Lucille Rodney, Eveline Rodney, Thomas Rodney, Taylor (Michael?) Rodney, Martin VanBuren Rodney, and R. William Rodney.

6. Andrew Ramsey, Jr. married Patty (Patsy) Worthington. Judge Andrew Ramsey Jr. settled on Ramsey Creek and later moved with his brothers John and James to Scott County -what is now Mississippi County, Missouri. In the summer of 1800, he settled near the site of present day Belmont, Missouri. Andrew Ramsey, shown on the 1830 Census of Scott County in Mississippi Township. Andrew Ramsey Jr. apparently died in Scott County Missouri in 1830. Will dated 14 Feb 1830 and recorded 25 June 1830 Ex= James Ramsey Jr. Wit= John S. Thompson. Bond= Andrew Ramsey Jr and Robert Ravenscroft. The will of Patsy Ramsey, deceased was filed in Scott County on 17 September 1833, with Andrew Ramsey (husband) as administrator and security was provided by John Hall, Robert Ravenscroft and William Meyers. Children were: Andrew Ramsey III, Allen Ramsey (youngest) married Elizabeth ---, James Ramsey (oldest), Betsey Ramsey, and Polly Ramsey

7. James Ramsey married Rebecca Worthington and died prior to 1850 in Mississippi County Missouri. Rebecca was a daughter of Joseph Worthington who arrived in 1799. In the summer of 1800, James Ramsey settled near the site of present day Belmont, Missouri. Shown on 1830 and 1840 Census of Scott County in Mississippi Township. James Ramsey laid out the town of Norfolk in 1836. It was the first town in the county. James Ramsey also established Rushâ€™s Ridge Nov 1836. James and Rebecca Ramsey had a deed of record in Scott County in 1835 at n 1/2, NW 1/4, Sec 4, Twp 26, and R 18. Rebecca Ramsey, died Feb 1865 at age 85, is buried in the Rush Ridge Cemetery in Mississippi County. I show children as: Alfred Ramsey, James Ramsey III, and William A. Ramsey.

8. John Ramsey married Hannah Lorimier (1/4 Shawnee), (Houck, Vol II, pp 190; and Douglas, pp. 77) the daughter of William Lorimier and Hetty Thorne. William was a natural son, born prior to Louis's last two marriages. William Lorimier was born at Lorimier's store in what is now Shelby County, Ohio near the present village of Berlin. William was undoubtedly of Shawnee ancestry. In Cape Girardeau County, William Lorimier ran a farm near the other Rodney, Ramsey relatives south of Jackson. Hetty Thorne was the daughter of Solomon Thorne, gunsmith to the Shawnee and veteran of Clark's Illinois campaign. John Ramsey was living near Peter Garrett in Cape Girardeau County in 1830. See Goodspeed's History of S.E. Missouri and Shrum's History of Scott County. John Ramsey does not appear in the 1830, 1840 or 1850 Census of Scott County. A John Ramsey does appear on 1830 Census of Cape Girardeau County page 453, near Peter Garrett and James Ravenscroft. Possible ancestor - see later.

9. William Ramsey married Elizabeth Dunn. I am uneasy about this line, as set forth by Houck. This family was living in Perry County Missouri in 1830 and the census shows William being born in 1814. This is a little improbable. This family is shown on the 1850 Census of Mississippi County. Apparently died 18 Nov 1862. Children were: Patsy Ramsey, Andrew Ramsey, and Catherine Ramsey. (Houck, Vol II, pp 164 and 183).

10. Allen Ramsey, killed by Indians, I show July 1813. (Houck, 1908). Capt Allen Ramsey engaged Winnebago Indians - killed. William Ramsey and John Ramsey were in this company. Should be # 8 and #9, brothers.

This man is my Cape Girardeau Ramsey ancestor. Although traditional â€œfamily loreâ€, old genealogy notes and some old letters support a connection to the Andrew Ramsey line, I have NO DEFINITIVE PROOF of this descent at this moment â€“ but I am working on it. There are conflicting and confusing data recording this John Ramseyâ€™s place of birth â€“ some say Pennsylvania, some say Tennessee, and one says Missouri. PLEASE HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO.

John W. Ramsey, Jr., born 1827 (1/8 Shawnee), married Clara Josephine Garrett, who died in Paris, Texas in 1910. She was the daughter of Peter R. Garrett and Mary Ann Whitelaw of Jackson, Missouri. John W. Ramsey and Clara Josephine Garrett were married on 22 July 1852 in New Orleans, Louisiana. They were married at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church on Fulton Street.

In the 1860 Census of Cape Girardeau County, they are shown with two children: Lila P., born in 1857, and Ruben G. born in 1859. Ruben G. should have read Robbie G. or Robert G., as listed in the 1870 Census of Memphis, Tennessee where the family was living at that time. Family letters indicate that John W. Ramsey left the Cape around 1861 and moved to Memphis where he remained until after 1885. While in Memphis, he was a Deputy U.S. Marshall and Deputy Sheriff. (I have his Marshall's badge)

Clara Josephine Garrett remained at the Cape and from time to time joined her husband in Memphis. She appears in the 1880 Census of Cape Girardeau, living with her sister, Mary Wall. With her was one son, Frank Whitelaw Ramsey, who had been born in Memphis in 1866. Her other son, Robert G. Ramsey, was apparently living with his father in Memphis in 1880. Her daughter, Lila, had married by this time.

By 1903, Clara Josephine Garrett was living with relatives in Hutchinson, Kansas. In 1907, she was living with her son, Frank, in Fremont, Nebraska. In 1910, she is living with Frank and Ada Ramsey in Paris, Texas. (Census Record) Cemetery records indicate she died on 31 December 1910 and was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Paris, Texas on 1 January 1911. Nothing more is known about the fate of her husband John W. Ramsey.

Memphis/Shelby County Death Index (1848-1945) The index to the recorded deaths within Memphis and Shelby County between 1848 and 1945 was created from the six volumes of the Memphis Death Register Books, 1848-1901, Memphis Burial Permits, 1902-1913, and Memphis/Shelby County Death Certificates, 1914-1945. NO JOHN RAMSEY

The children of John W. and Clara Josephine (Garrett) Ramsey included:

1. Lila P. Ramsey, born 1857, married James Carroll of Cape Girardeau on 17 Apr 1877, and died at the Cape on 17 Oct 1884. One son, Bernard Carroll, predeceased the mother. James Carrollâ€™s brother, Richard Carroll, married Catharine M. Gilroy on 21 Nov 1883 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

2. Robert G. (Ruben or Robbins) Ramsey, born 1860, died of meningitis on 6 Feb 1899 at his home at North 111 Abbott in Dallas, Texas. At that time, he was foreman of the book department of Worley's printing establishment. He was married to Cora Burgess of Commerce, Missouri. In 1889, 1890, and 1891, he is shown on the Kansas City Directory, as Robbins G. Ramsey, living at 1237 Ridge Avenue.

His wife, Cora, is shown in the 1900 Census of Missouri, living in St. Louis with her two sons. Children included:

2A. Lawrence R. Ramsey, born in 1883 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. He married on 10 December 1907 to Katherine Little who was born in 1886 in Scotland. They had four daughters, Marie, Florence, Dorothy and Helen. Shown on 1920 and 1930 Census of Alameda County, California. Cora Ramsey, his mother, is living with them in 1920 and 1930.

2B. Robert G. (Bob) Ramsey, Jr., born in 3 October 1889 in Kansas City and died on 26 August 1965 in Woodland, Yolo County, California. Shown on 1930 Census of Yolo County, California

3. Frank Whitelaw Ramsey, born 9 Feb 1866 (1/16 Shawnee) in Memphis Tennessee, married 10 Jul 1895 in Lawrence Kansas, and died 9 Mar 1926 in Abilene Texas. Married to Ada Belle McCoy, daughter of Zachary T. McCoy and Mary Melissa Woods. She died 29 Jul 1936 in Big Spring, Texas. At that time, she was living with her daughter Lila Kuykendall at 2300 Runnells Street. Both are buried at the Rosemont Cemetery in Wichita Falls Texas. No other kin are buried in this cemetery

Marjorie Fern Ramsey, born 17 Jan 1897 in Kansas City Missouri. She married Benjamin Culberson Neal, 2 Jun 1915 in Paris Texas. See the Neal Group. She died 21 Oct 1954 in Kerrville Texas. Both buried at Fairmont Cemetery, San Angelo Texas. Only one child:

Re: THE ANDREW RAMSEY FAMILY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU

Joseph, this might be a longshot but Ive got to ask.I have an Andrew Morrison who married Margaret M. ? ca. 1813-1817 (NC?) They moved to Perry Co. MO ca. 1834. They named their son, Andrew Ramsey Morrison born 1820 NC. I have often wondered if Margaret might have been a Ramsey, thus her sons name, I can find no record of the Ramsey name in the Morrison line. Do you know if this family might somehow tie in with yours?

Re: THE ANDREW RAMSEY FAMILY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU

My great-great-great-great grandparents were William Ramsey and Margaret (Chesnut) Ramsey. Both had ties to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Augusta County, Virginia. William died in Lincoln County, North Carolina, sometime after he wrote his will in 1804.

One of William and Margaret Ramsey's sons was my great-great-great grandfather, Samuel Ramsey (b. 1777, VA; d. 1822, MO). He married Virginia-born Rebecca Huggins in Lincoln County in 1797. Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey brought as many as nine children to the Cape Girardeau District of Missouri Territory from Lincoln County between 1816 and 1819. My great-great grandfather, Alfred Ramsey, was born in Cape Girardeau District in 1819.

Alfred's older brother Albert had been born in Lincoln County in 1816. He married Catherine Barks in Cape Girardeau County in 1838. She was the daughter of Jacob Barks and Hannah (Masters) Barks. Albert and Catherine Ramsey had at least 12 children.

One of Albert and Catherine Ramsey's 12 children was their son Julius Jacob. He married Mariah Caroline Morrison, who I believe was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson O'Neal Morrison and Matilda (Link) Morrison.

I don't know if the Julius Ramsey-Mariah Morrison marriage evidences ties between the two families that date back to North Carolina, or if those ties developed after my Ramsey family arrived in Missouri.

Digging through my files for information on Thomas Jefferson O'Neal Morrison, I ran across this note: John F. "Frank" Proffer and Missouri Alice Link married on 1 January 1879, in the home of the groom's sister, Mary E. (Proffer) Winters. Reportedly, the marriage ceremony was performed by T.J.O. Morrison, the groom's uncle.

John Franklin Proffer and Mary E. (Proffer) Winters were children of John Proffer and Nancy Mariah (Link) Proffer. Nancy Mariah (Link) Proffer and Matilda (Link) Morrison were sisters.

Re: THE ANDREW RAMSEY FAMILY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU

Houck, in his book - The Spanish Regime in Missouri, notes at page 408, "Andrew Ramsey originally came from Cecil County, Maryland and moved westward along the Potomac. For a time, he lived in Pittsburgh, or at any rate, near the forks of the Ohio. He came to the Cape Girardeau District in 1795." In this same book, Houck notes that the Gibboney family came from Cecil County, Maryland, or the disputed territory between Maryland and Pennsylvania where the family settled before the Revolutionary War." Alexander Gibboney is shown in the 1790 Census of Cecil County. It should be pointed out that the famous Ramsey family of Tennessee also came from Cecil County, Maryland.

Houck notes in his History of Southeast Missouri that Andrew Ramsey came to Cape Girardeau from Harper's Ferry and that he was with the Virginia troops at Braddock's defeat. Andrew Ramsey allegedly ran a ferry across the Cheat River during the Rev. War, and resided in Pittsburgh before coming down the Ohio. His land grant adjoined that of Don Louis Lorimier, the Post Commandant at Cape Girardeau. Houck states that Andrew Ramsey was a man of some property, a slave owner, and exercised a considerable influence in the settlement during the Spanish government.

Somewhere in all of tgis Ramsey family history I have run across the name "Proffer". I will keep looking for it.

Clete, you and I have have communicated on this line before. I still haven't found any connection - but there are some other Ramseys in the Cape area around the 1820's i.e. David Ramsey and Joel Ramsey.... still looking.

The missing generation is with #3 John Ramsey. My sources are: GOODSPEED'S HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI, 1888 P.274, Abstract of Wills of Cape Girardeau County Missouri, Cape Girardeau marriages and Vern Ramsey, my grandfather, son of John Andrew Ramsey. This is his information that I have:

Children of John Ramsey and Elizabeth "Patsy" Haden are:

1. John Ramsey, Jr. b. 1825 d. July 3, 1843 married Nov. 15, 1842 in Cape Girardeau County, Mo. to Sarah Ann Miller b. 1826 Tennessee They had one child - John Andrew Ramsey b. Nov. 22 1843 in Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. (my great grandfather). He was born after his father had died.and in 1854 Sarah remarried John Strong Thompson, who raised John A. Ramsey.

2. Elizabeth Ramsey who married John Ravinscroft

3. Mary Ann "Polly" Ramsey m. Robert Ravinscroft

4. William Ramsey b. abt. 1824 and married Jan. 4, 1846 in Mississippi County, Missouri to Giney Mclyd

Re: THE ANDREW RAMSEY FAMILY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU

Hi Joseph,After studying your line and going over my information, I believe that you may be descended from John Ramsey b. 1790 Monongahela County, Virginia, who married Hannah Lorimer. John is the son of Andrew Ramsey and Eve Wright. The birthdate would be about right. It is an unproven theory at this point, but it would support your family lore that you descended from Andrew Ramsey of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. Good luck on your search. Mary Jeanne Riley Lentz

For years, I've been trying without much success to sort out the various Ramsey lines in southeast Missouri. As you no doubt have found, it's a tangle, with many mystery Ramseys I can't connect. However, I'm certain Samuel Ramsey (b. 1777, VA) had no immediate connection to the John Ramsey and Elizabeth "Patsy" (Haden) Ramsey you note.

From what I've learned, Samuel Ramsey was the son of Capt. William Ramsey and Margaret (Chesnut) Ramsey. He was born in Augusta County, Virginia, then a much larger county than it is now. By 1797, the family was in Lincoln County, North Carolina, where Samuel married Rebecca Huggins in November of that year. They had at least nine children. In 1818, they followed many of their Lincoln County neighbors to southeast Missouri. A tenth known child, son Alfred, was born to Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey in 1819, in what was then Missouri Territory.

Samuel's father William wrote his will in 1804. The will wasn't admitted to the Lincoln County court until 1828. By that time, Samuel had been dead for about six years (he died about 1822).

The will makes no mention of William's wife Margaret, so it appears she died before 1804.

The will does mention William's sons Robert, Solomon, David, and Samuel, as well as daughter "Janey Glen."

William Ramsey's children Robert, Solomon, and Jane (the Janey Glen noted in William's will) are reported to have married siblings from the Lincoln County Glenn family (Margaret, Agnes, and Robert B. Glenn, Jr., respectively).

The junior Robert B. Glenn and Jane (Ramsey) Glenn, as well as Solomon Ramsey and Agnes (Glenn) Ramsey, are reported to have moved with Robert B. Glenn, Sr., from Lincoln County, North Carolina, to White County, Tennessee.

According to one Ramsey researcher with whom I've been corresponding, Solomon Ramsey later moved from White County to Marshall County, Tennessee.

That same researcher reports that Samuel's brother David (b. 1770, VA) married Jane McCaslen in Lincoln County before moving with the Glenn family to Tennessee. She said David and Jane Ramsey later moved to Overton County, Tennessee.

Robert Ramsey remained in Lincoln County, North Carolina, and some of his descendants are still there.

I've often considered the possibility that descendants of William Ramsey's sons and daughter who moved from North Carolina to Tennessee might have have later moved to southeast Missouri. So far, I haven't been able to connect any Tennessee-born Ramseys on 19th-century Cape Girardeau or Bollinger census reports to Samuel Ramsey's brothers and sister who moved from North Carolina to Tennessee with the Glenn family.

As I noted above, Samuel Ramsey died about 1822. This is the abstract of Samuel Ramsey's will as it appears in Cape Girardeau County records:

Albert "Stoke" Ramsey, who I believe was named in part after his North Carolina-born uncle Albert, head of a relatively nearby household in Cape Girardeau County in 1860, would later marry Martha Elizabeth Wright, whose family had come to southeast Missouri from Tennessee.

One of Stoke and Martha Ramsey's sons was Clarence Paul Ramsey. He married Stella Jane Owens, a daughter of John Madison Owens and Missouri Belle (Virgin) Owens.

Paul and Stella Ramsey had four children -- three sons and a daughter. Their first-born was my late father, Cletis T. Ramsey, who was born in Greenbrier, Bollinger County, Missouri, in 1912.

Your posting, while leaving the number at 10 (eight sons and two daughters), appears to drop son Vorde, about whom I know little more than his name and year of birth. You also add a twin brother (Preston) for Thomas, and change Thomas' year of birth from 1804 to 1805.

Of Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey's children who married, I know the names of some of their spouses and the names of only about half of their reported over three dozen children.

One of my mystery Ramsey men had been the John Ramsey who was reported in Cape Girardeau County Marriage Book B (1839-1854) to have married Sarah Miller on 15 November 1842.

In 1850, a Sarah Ann Ramsey, 24, was living in the Cape Girardeau County household of John C. Miller, 23. My guess had been that she was a widowed Sarah Ann (Miller) Ramsey living with her younger brother. Both Sarah Ramsey and John Miller were listed as Tennessee-born. The household also had a Missouri-born John A. Ramsey, 6. Your posting confirms that Sarah Ann Miller was John Ramsey's widow and John A. Ramsey their son.

In 1860, there was a Missouri-born John A. Ramsey, 16, living in the Cape Girardeau County household of John S. Thompson, 42. The household also included Sarah Ann Thompson, 35, b. TN; May F. Thompson, 4; James H. Thompson, 3; and, Martha C. Thompson, 1. I thought it was possible that Sarah Ann Thompson was the widow Sarah Ann (Miller) Ramsey, who had married again. Your posting confirms that guess.

John Ramsey, who Cape Girardeau County Marriage Book C (1855-1868) reported as marrying Mary C. Thompson on 4 April 1867, was also one of my mystery Ramsey men. Your posting confirms he was John Andrew Ramsey, MO), a son of John Ramsey and Sarah Ann (Miller) Ramsey.

Another Ramsey man on my mystery list is Preston Ramsey (b. ~1805, TN), who was head of a household in 1850 Cape Girardeau County that included: Elizabeth Ramsey, 29, b. TN; Sarah J. Ramsey, 13, b. TN; James A. Ramsey, 10, b. AR; William J. Ramsey, 8, b. AR; and, John N. Ramsey, 2, b. AR. In 1850, Preston Ramsey's household was very near that of my great-great grandfather Alfred. Your posting includes a son Preston for Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey. This Preston Ramsey might have been him. However, his Tennessee place of birth, if correct, conflicts with the North Carolina places of birth I've seen for all of Samuel and Rebecca's children but one, my Missouri-born great-great grandfather Alfred.

In addition to my great-great grandfather Alfred's household, another Ramsey-connected household near Preston Ramsey's in 1850 was that headed by John K. Dockkins, whose wife was the former Eliza J. Shanks. Also living in John Dockkins' household was his sister-in-law, Catherine (Shanks) Ramsey (1821-1896). Like her sister Eliza, Catherine was a daughter of Solomon Shanks Sr. and Rachel (Davis) Shanks.

Catherine (Shanks) Ramsey's late husband was John Ramsey (1821-1848), another of my Ramsey mystery men. John and Catherine Ramsey had sons Benjamin C. Ramsey (1844-1926) and John Henry Ramsey (1845-1930). John Henry Ramsey's son, Benjamin Harrison "Bud" Ramsey, and Bud's wife, Emma (Bailey) Ramsey, are buried smack dab in front of my grandparents, Paul and Stella Ramsey, at Baker Cemetery south of Marble Hill, Bollinger County. While I'm convinced these Ramseys were likely connected to my Ramsey family, I just don't know how.

In 1860, the household of John and Sarah Stevens was listed on the census of Lorance Township, Bollinger County, immediately after that of John and Eliza Dockkins.

John Stevens, the adminstrator of Samuel Ramsey's will and the first Presiding Judge of Bollinger County after its creation in 1851, married North Carolina-born (~1803) Sarah Ramsey. I've seen speculation that Sarah (Ramsey) Stevens was a daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey, but I think that's not correct. Another source identifies John Steven's wife Sarah as the daughter of David Ramsey, who came to southeast Missouri about the same time as John Stevens' family, about 1808. It's possible that David Ramsey was the Cape Girardeau County JP and Bollinger County commissioner, but not the David Ramsey who was Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey's son. Someone also informed me of an article about John Stevens in the 1888 Goodspeed's history of southeast Missouri that said his wife Sarah was the daughter of a John Ramsey from South Carolina.

Adding to the confusion, Frances Catherine "Fanny" Ramsey, a granddaughter of John Ramsey and Catherine (Shanks) Ramsey, married Oliver Edward Stevens, the grandson of John Stevens and Sarah (Ramsey) Stevens. Fanny Ramsey's parents were John Henry Ramsey and Martha "Patsy" (O'Guinn) Ramsey (1846-1882). Fanny's brother was the Benjamin Harrison "Bud" Ramsey buried next to my Ramsey grandparents at Baker Cemetery south of Marble Hill.

Benjamin C. Ramsey, John Henry Ramsey's brother, married four times. One of his wives was Mary Jane "Polly" O'Guinn (1844-1890), a sister of John Henry Ramsey's wife Patsy.

It gets even more confusing. A third Oâ€™Guinn sister, Malissa Oâ€™Guinn, appears to have married William Wright, the older, Tennessee-born brother of Martha Elizabeth (Wright) Ramsey, Stoke Ramseyâ€™s wife and my great-grandmother.

If you want to be as confused as I am, I'll be glad to compare Ramsey notes and sources with you. Meanwhile, I'll go through your 10 December posting in detail and see what connections I can make.

Regards from Virginia,

Clete

Re: THE ANDREW RAMSEY FAMILY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU

Hi Clete, I have spent years looking for Ramsey descendants from this line and here I've found 2. How exciting! When family genealogists start putting their information together, it sometimes clicks into place. If what you;re saying about your Samuel is correct, then you may tie in through a brother to John J. Ramsey. He had brothers, Robert, Hugh, William and Patrick, but I don't have any information on them other than birth and death dates. They were all born in Warwick Twp. in Chester County, Pennsylvania. John J. Ramsey also had two sisters, Jeannette and Jean. Their parents were William Ramsey b. 1698 in Huntingdon, Lothian, Scotland and Jane Jeannette Brady b. 1703 probably in Ireland. Your Jane Ramsey was probably named after her grandmother Jane Jeannette Brady.Like you, I have struggled to sort out the Ramsey puzzle, and have pieced some areas together as best as logic would allow. I have more information on your line. One of the descendants of Alfred lived in Campbell, Missouri, 10 miles from where I live. His widow is still living there. I would be glad to exchange information with you. Perhaps between yourself, Joe and me, we can begin to sort out this puzzle. Hopefully other Ramseys will see the site and add their line, also.